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Liga Portugal 8MLS – The Zlatan Ibrahimovic effect
Baranov E / Shutterstock.comThe Los Angeles Galaxy went into last Saturday's first ever Los Angeles Derby without many of their key players. There was no Giovani Dos Santos nor was there Romain Alessandrini. New signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasn't even match fit.
Yet without the two star players, a 25% healthy Ibrahimovic was all the Galaxy needed to defeat their rivals Los Angeles FC.
Down 3-1 when Ibrahimovic was introduced to the fixture in the 71st minute, the Swedes' emphatic wonder goal from about 40-yards out brought the two teams level. It followed Chris Pontius' goal which the Galaxy tallied moments after the former Manchester United player joined the game. Ibrahimovic popped up in the first minute of stoppage-time to score the winner, although there were cries of offsides.
Ibrahimovic's impact in just over 20 minutes on the pitch showed just how much better he is than the rest of the league's forward talent. It also showed that Ibrahimovic, despite being 36, can bully and outclass MLS's defenders.
The Galaxy improved its attack greatly with Ibrahimovic's signing. The problem for the team is the lack of quality in midfield and defence. The Galaxy's defenders gave up three goals in the opening 45 minutes of the derby. LAFC moved through the Galaxy with ease during the first half. However, the Angels turned off for large parts of the second interval and allowed the Galaxy back into the game.
Galaxy manager Sigi Schmid's side looked slow and too often midfielders were receiving passes from defenders while facing their own goal. It was a slow build-up and it made the team extremely easy to defend against until Ibrahimovic came on and stretched the LAFC defence. Galaxy left-back Ashley Cole looked every bit his age. The 37-year-old may have been given the captain's armband, but he looked incredible slow and had difficulty defending against LAFC's younger, quicker attackers.
Schmid has little wiggle room to add quality to his side. The team has invested heavily in attack, and the defence seems to have been neglected. It was a terrible decision as the Galaxy gave up the second most goals (67) a season ago and finished dead last in the overall MLS points standings. The team did bring in goalkeeper David Bingham in the offseason, but even the best goalkeepers need quality defenders in front of them.
The Galaxy may have seven points from 12 after four matches, but Schmid has to sort his attacking tactics out along with improving his defence. Ibrahimovic's signing has already earned the Galaxy three points. However, Schmid cannot rely on the Swede to turn the tide of a game every week. The squad must learn to defend.
The Galaxy faced a big test against LAFC in the derby last weekend. Now the team must play the MLS Western Conference's top team in terms of points, Sporting KC. The Blues have secured 10 points from 15 and Sporting are undefeated in their last four fixtures. The Galaxy's defence - or lack thereof – should once again be a factor in the tie. Even with Ibrahimovic and playing at home, Sporting will pick up all three points until the Galaxy can learn to defend.
Major League Soccer
<>October 2026Football predictions{"9":"September 2026","10":"October 2026","11":"November 2026"}Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Western Conference
OVERALL TABLE OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/- 1Vancouver Whitecaps 52 29 15 7 7 31 2Saint Louis City 51 29 14 9 6 16 3FC Dallas 50 29 14 8 7 8 4San Jose Earthquakes 46 28 13 7 8 10 5Houston Dynamo 45 28 13 6 9 2 6Los Angeles FC 42 29 11 9 9 13 7Seattle Sounders 41 29 11 8 10 2 8Colorado Rapids 37 28 11 4 13 0 9Los Angeles Galaxy 36 29 9 9 11 -11 10Portland Timbers 33 28 9 6 13 -3 11San Diego 32 28 8 8 12 -3 12Real Salt Lake 32 28 9 5 14 -5 13Austin FC 31 28 7 10 11 -15 14Minnesota United 30 28 7 9 12 -9 15Sporting Kansas City 22 29 6 4 19 -37 Play-off 1/8-finalsPlay-off 1/16-finalsEastern Conference
OVERALL TABLE OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/- 1Nashville SC 66 29 20 6 3 41 2Inter Miami CF 52 29 14 10 5 20 3New England Revolution 49 29 15 4 10 7 4Chicago Fire 48 29 14 6 9 9 5Charlotte FC 46 29 13 7 9 8 6Philadelphia Union 45 29 13 6 10 13 7Orlando City SC 38 29 11 5 13 -15 8FC Cincinnati 36 28 9 9 10 -8 9New York Red Bulls 36 29 10 6 13 -15 10New York City FC 33 29 8 9 12 2 11Toronto FC 33 29 7 12 10 -11 12DC United 33 28 7 12 9 -11 13Columbus Crew 32 29 9 5 15 -3 14Atlanta United 30 29 8 6 15 -12 15Montreal Impact 24 29 6 6 17 -24 Play-off 1/8-finalsPlay-off 1/16-finalsPick of the day
2nd1stFlamengo are undefeated in their last 13 Copa Libertadores matches.
Top trends
Vélez Sársfield Res.Unbeaten 30 of 36Vélez Sársfield Res. are unbeaten in 30 of their last 36 home matches in Reserve League
Khovd FCOver 2.5 goals 19Over 2.5 goals were seen in Khovd FC's last 19 matches in Premier League
Hwacheon KSPO WUndefeated 15Hwacheon KSPO W are undefeated in their last 15 league games
URA KampalaWinless 2 of 14In their last 14 games in Premier League, URA Kampala have a poor record of just 2 wins
Mashal MubarekLost 10Mashal Mubarek are on a losing streak of 10 straight matches in Professional Football League
Sporting BragaClean sheets 6Sporting Braga have kept a clean sheet in all of their last 6 UEFA Europa Conference League games
FC NordsjællandWon 5The team of FC Nordsjælland have achieved 5 straight wins in UEFA Europa Conference League
Levski SofiaScored None 5Levski Sofia are on an unfortunate streak of 5 Europa League games where they have not managed to score a goal
WardLost by 3+ goals 4Ward have lost by 3+ goals their last 4 Premier League games
SL BenficaWon by 2+ goals 3SL Benfica have won by 2+ goals all of their last 3 Europa League games
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